Shifter: A Tale of Enigma, Blades, Aura, and Disaster
by xman37
Summary: Five years. Five years he had been under their control, but no more. Now he had broken free from a powerful Rocket, and an enigmatic Cipher. One thought, one purpose: vengeance.
1. Prolougue

Here we are again. Me, running for my life for the- let's see, _four billion one, four billion two_\- forget it. I don't really care, to be honest. But it hasn't always been like this. It's been worse. Much, much worse. And you get to hear about it. Yay you.

_A meadow of green, a sky that reflected the ground below. Water, crystal clear to the bottom. A mountain green to its iced summit. Trunks of violet and blue, leaves of yellow, sky of white. A pink creature darts through the trees, looking at me. It came to a stop in front of me._ "You will understand, one day." _I looked at it questioningly_. "One day you will know why your brother was kept from you. You will meet him again, I can promise you." _At this piont I was utterly confused. The creature giggled, a sound high in pitch and inhuman_. "But now it is time for you to wake up, I'm afraid. Bye bye!" _The landscape brightened to white, then faded into darkness._

Awareness.

An orange liquid surrounds me. _What is this? This is not like before. Was it all just a dream, a surreality?_ Voices spoke out around me. "Doctor, its mind is concious! It perceives, and processes information!" "Quickly, sedate it. We don't want it going wild like the last one did." _The voices. They were outside, where I must be_. I slammed my fistsinto the glass walls of my tube. "Why isn't the sedative working?" the "Doctor" asked. I did not care what he said. He could say all he wanted, and I would not care. I gave one last heave, and the tube broke, the orange liquid draining out. "It is truly alive! Quiet, and listen to it speak!" the "Doctor said. He was a large man with dark eyes, black hair and a white lab coat. I looked around at the space we were in. Several tubes filled with the same orange liquid stood to the left and right of me. Strange machines with circular patterns dominated the center of the room. In front of me, protected by a wall of glass was a bank of computers and displays, monitoring the life signs of me and all of the other test subjects. "Where... where am I?" I asked, not yet familiar with using my voice. "You're in Ka-" one scientist piped up befor he was interrupted by the Doctor, as I had now dubbed him. "You're in our laboratory, where we created you." "Created?" I asked. "Yes!" the Doctor replied. "You were not born, we simply spliced human DNA with Pokemon, and you were created!" "What, then exactly am I?" The Doctor chuckled. "You are a Shifter; a huaman that can turn into a Pokemon at will." At this one of the scientists laughed. "Our client will be so pleased!" The Doctor twisted around and smiled at the scientist, though the smile never got to his dark eyes. "Yes, he will be. But our client also would like his identity to be kept secret, correct?" The scientist turned white, and nodded very quickly. "Y-yes, that is right." "Good. Now," the Doctor said, turning back to me, smiling somewhat ... hungrily, I decided. "Where were we?"

The next few weeks of my life were a living hell. I was put on tradmills for extended amounts of time without food or water. I was pushed to my limits, and then twice that far. But this was all in my human form. Little did I know that I would soon be pushed to limits I did not know that I had. I lost track of time, but did not care.

The day began as any other, wracked with pain. However, this time the Doctor himself showed up in my round, white sleeping quarters. "What do you want?" I asked bitterly. He kept a serious, slightly angered countenance. "Come." he said. "It is time for you to advance." I followed him without a word. We came to a white room. "Now, concentrate without picturing anything in your mind. Keep your mind clear." I tried to do what he said, but he clearly was not satisfied. "No!" he yelled. "He's supposed to _Shift_!" He walked up to me, mumbling about another failed test subject and slapped me across the face. I simply looked at him. This however, only seemed to anger him further, and he stood up and looked at me with hatred in his eyes. The Doctor grabbed me by the front of my shirt and threw me to the back of the room. I honestly did not think the man had it in him. But I did not think about that. I thought about What trajectory would bring me to him with the most force. I remember him staring at me, then smiling. I flew-yes flew-at him and scratched him. But not just normal scratch. As in, _Scratch_ scratch. The _Pokemon move_, Scratch.

You know when I said my life was a living hell? This was worse. Heck of a lot worse. I was forced to complete tasks no human could. My tolerance for pain was tested to the limits. I was but a shell of myself. But they were not finished with me yet. During one of my short rest periods, the Doctor walked into my room, his dark eyes staring into my hazel. "It is now time for you to begin phase two of your development." I simply followed without question. He led me throug hallway after hallway, finally coming to a stop in front of waht appeared to be a surgery room. He, along with several others, strapped me to the chair. A man with a faint Kalos accent spoke to one of the scientists, walked up, and held up a surgucal knife in front of me. It was then that I blacked out.

I don't remember much about the operation. Only one thing, actually. Pain. Terrible, extreme unbearable, intolerable pain. When I woke up, I guesses it had been about an hour since the procedure. I was tied to a chair in an empty room, the Doctor before me. He looked at me, and smiled, but this was a smile of malice. He pulled out a knife, and stabbed me in the shoulder. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I tried to stanch the flow of blood as best I could, but to no avail. But then I felt the blood stop. I took my hand away from the wound to see it close up. "What have you done to me!?" I screamed, clutching my shoulder. His smile widened. "I have simply awakened the potential inside you. You see, in your DNA, there is a potential for every Pokemon move there is. We simply took the potential for the move Recover," He paused, as if proud of what he had done."And made it perpetual." he finished gleefully. I was reminded of the point in every superhero comic where the villan explains his plan to the trapped hero, then the hero escapes and foils the villan's plan. _So that is what I must do_. I thought. _I must escape, and destroy this place_.


	2. Chapter One: Escape From Rocket

I dragged myself away from the still-burning compound. Once I had gone a safe distance, I rose to a sitting position. I had spent two months in that hell. _Two months._ I was surprised that I had lasted that long. I remembered the head scientist, the one calling himself the Doctor. He had probably escaped at the last minute. In fact, I had watched him run toward a reinforced door. I'd bet anything the room was bombproofed, or had an underground tunnel underneath it, or was an escape pod or _something._ I knew the Doctor had backup plan after backup plan, because his higher-ups wanted him alive, and wanted him to _stay_ that way. He apparently was quite important to them, otherwise he probably would be dead now. I remembered his last words to me.

_There were fires everywhere, and the lab was almost completely destroyed. The Doctor staggered to a room that appeared to have a reinforced door. before he closed the door, the Doctor turned to me. He showed me a symbol: three mostly white rings, with a black segment on each, each outside the other. The centermost ring's black segment pointed left, the middle ring's segment pointing right. The final, outermost ring's black segment pointed straight up to the sky. I still remember those words he said to me. "Decode the cipher."_

The distant _chop-chop_ of helicopter blades snapped me out of my memories. I heard the footsteps of a heavyset man walking across the now blackened grass, stopping right before me. The man had slicked-back brown hair, wore an orange suit with a green undershirt, and had a Persian by his side.

"Those fools thought that they could control you. They saw you as an experiment. I, however, see you as something much more formidable." the orange-suited man boomed out.  
I cocked my head in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" I asked the man. He simply smiled. "I see you," he replied,"As a valuable partner. I can make you stronger, faster, more agile." I looked at him then asked; "How?" He replied vauguely. "You will have to trust me. But I can assure you, by the end of this, you will be the strongest being in the world." I looked at him, somewhat suspicious, but decided to play along anyway. "Show me." I commanded of him. That was my first mistake. Trusting a man that I had just met, and who turned out to be a criminal.

I felt, rather than heard, the armor click into place. "What is this?" I asked. "It limits my power." The man I had come to know as Giovanni smiled. "Your powers are not being suppressed, quite the contrary, they are being focused. Now, as you you were trained." He snapped and pointed his index and middle finger towards an Onix. I focused the energy in me, completely aware but not of the large, darkened room around me, and blasted the Onix with a powerful Psychic. I had easily completed tasks such as this before, and this was no different. Still, I sighed._ But what is my purpose?_

I had approached Giovanni about this several times, but he had always answered cryptically. This time, however, he seemed to be fed up with me. "Go back to your chambers!" "Not until you answer my question." I replied cooly, crossing my arms. "Fine. You want to know what your purpose is? Your purpose is to serve me, your master." "No." I whispered. "What?" he asked me, the edge of anger clearly present in his voice. "No. You created me, and you betrayed me. I am no one's slave. You seek only to use me. _This cannot be my destiny!" _ I began at a normal tone, but with every word I grew louder until finally, when I had yelled my loudest, I released a wave of psychic energy, tearing off the restricting armor and half destroying the shadowed room around me. "Stop this at once!" Giovanni yelled. _The fool._ I thought._ He still believes that he can control me._ I turned to the sky and flew through a hole in the ceiling, pieces of the man's accursed armor peeling off of me. I picked a random direction, and flew until I could fly no more.

I set myself onto the scorching sand. I had been a fool not to stock up on supplies, even more so to tire myself out. I heard voices behind me. "There! Rocket's test subject! Sedate it, now!" I felt a dull pain in my forearm, then blackness.


	3. Chapter 2: The Hall of Origin

Pain. Unbearable pain. It was all I knew, all I could know. It died down, and I heard voices. "Why isn't it working?"  
"Sir, we've tried, but all but the biological weapon has failed." The first voice sounded angry, the second fearful.

"So use it. There is no risk."  
"But sir! the biological weapon could kill it!."  
The first voice replied:"It would be of no use to us not under our control. _Use the biological weapon._" His voice dripped with venom and unvoiced threats.  
"Y-yes, sir." the second voice sad, albeit shakily. I was thrown into a world of pain, acid eating me from the inside out, inhibitor chips barely holding back my immense psychic power. Slowly I faded into a world of black.  
I opened my eyes in a grand hall, the walls encrusted with jewels, the floor infused with gold. A meeting seemed to be taking place. At the front of the hall, a strange white creature seemed to be speaking. "You all, I assume, have heard of the somewhat accidental coordination between Team Rocket and Cipher, XD003." A wave of negative feeling, ranging from mild fear to outright hatred rushed through the gathered.  
"That abomination?" a green dragon spat. "We must destroy it!" A creature with a purple tail stood.  
"I would not be so quick to judge. Remember me?"  
"Nonetheless, Mewtwo," A black, yellow, white, and green bipedal, headless creature stood and spoke. "This...thing can be, is more of a threat than you ever were, not to offend you. However impulsive he is, he is correct. He is possibly the most powerful being alive, and he is under the possession of the evil organization Cipher. He must be destroyed, for the balance of creation." The purple-tailed creature sighed, clearly annoyed.  
"Am I the only one here who understands the value of life? Surely you, Regigigas, know what happens when preserving life is not the first priority of this council. After all, the disaster in Sin-"  
"Do not lecture me about the value of life, Mewtwo. I understand what I suggest to the council. However, this thing does not have a soul. It is only a shell of a living being." I almost audibly growled at this, and turned invisible so that I would not be seen, walking through the hall.  
"That," the creature I now knew as Mewtwo began. "Is where you are wrong. How could a soulless creature such as the one you describe walk these very halls?" A murmur of uncertainty swept through the hall, just as I cringed. I knew I had been discovered, but I stayed still, in the hope that my invisibility would save me. It didn't.  
I was pulled to the front of the room by a stronger psychic force than I could combat, my invisibility removed and seated and held in front of all of the occupants of the hall. I quickly teleported to the back of the hall, becoming invisible. A small, pink cat-like creature flew over to me and spoke telekinetically. _I know you're there. _It said in a female voice._ You weren't supposed to come here, so I'll just "port you back_. It giggled, then I returned to the extreme pain of reality.


	4. Chapter 3: Breakout Part One

I opened my eyes. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't. I was not restrained, yet I could not move. I tried to speak, but could not control my lips. I could not move anything, and yet I was not restrained. Panic overtook me, and was I able to affect my body in any way I would have been shaking. But I couldn't, thus the basis of the panic attack. A speaker near me crackled to life with a male voice.  
"_Attention all personnel, XD003 is about to be tested, please find the nearest safe point. Repeat, XD003 is about to be tested, please find the nearest safe point._" For some reason, the name XD003 struck a chord with me. I would not find out what it meant until later.  
I felt my legs moving without my consent. Then, I felt an ancient power stir within me. Before I could figure out what was happening, I released a psychic blast, so powerful that I was thrown back into the wall with enough force to punch a hole through it. Was someone somehow controlling me? Apparently, because the next thing I knew there was a voice, somewhat muffled, from behind a blacked-out window. All it said was two words.  
"It worked."  
I was under their control after this point for five years. And yet, the first "mission" that I was sent on will forever weigh down my soul.  
The Pokemon was a child's. A child's. I had been sent on a test run by whoever controlled me. A young trainer made the mistake of challenging me to a battle. Instead of sending out a Pokemon, I used my psychic ability to bring the Rattata into my grip. I crushed it. I broke its neck, instantly killing it.  
The child walked up to the dead Rattata, thinking it was still alive.  
¨Hey, Rattata, you okay?¨ When he realized his dear Pokemon was dead, I could almost feel the wave of shock and grief when he asked one last time, his voice almost broken. ¨Rattata?¨  
The wailing of the child will haunt me until the end of days. I cried too, a prisoner inside myself. Yet my invisible captors controlling me from the inside simply forced me to casually walk down the grassy route, away from the life that I had ruined.  
Time passed. Much time passed. I was not to know until later, but it had been three years. I, and apparently Cipher officials, thought that I was long broken. I had been broken, but something changed all of that. I had always slept dreamlessly. Yet, for some reason, tonight was different. My heart of hearts was lifted into the heavens, my inner eye resting upon the great hall once more. This time, however, the hall held a much more solemn air. The Legends stared me down, and I got the distinct feeling that I was on trial.  
"You, _Shifter_. Come forward." The voice sounded from a white creature I recognized from a book of fairy tales as Arceus. He spat the word Shifter as if it were a curse. I walked slowly forward, fearing for my life. Another Pokemon stepped forward. This one was black and white with what appeared to be bushes above its hands and feet.  
"Your crimes are as follows: Murder of humans and Pokemon, theft, and spreading the Shadow. Do you have any words?" I noticed the one called Mewtwo was missing from the crowd. I simply looked to the floor of the great hall, and whispered, almost breathed two words.  
"Kill me."  
"Wha-what?" Both Arceus and the black and white Pokemon were sent reeling by my response. Arceus asked again. "What?"  
"You heard me. Kill me, condemn me to the Distortion World, I don't care." I then whispered an addition to that, mostly to myself. "It couldn't possibly be worse than the hell that I live."  
"What are you talking about?" Arceus demanded. He had almost begun to destroy his golden pedestal in his... Rage? Confusion?  
"Look yourself, _O Great Creator_. Or are you blind to humanity's crimes?" I snapped back at him. A majorly white creature with wings and blue spines on its back visibly flinched.  
"What is it, Lugia?" Arceus asked, clearly worried.  
"It... can't... be... No. I destroyed... No. They wouldn't do that to one of their own would- No. It is true." ." Lugia seemed disbelieving at first, but disbelief quickly turned to horror. "You... you were forcefully Shadowed?"

"Uhmm... if that is the name for going through something at least a hundred times worse than the Distortion World, then... Yes, I suppose so." I shifted (no pun intended) my weight from one foot to the other, clearly nervous.

"So it is true. Arceus," Lugia began. "He is not in control of himself. The rumors about Cipher are true. They received a former Rocket test subject and used it to their advantage. This boy is innocent. Cipher, and indeed its leader, is not so in the right as we believed. It is crucial that we find him at once, and break him out so that they cannot use him for evil. The boy is quite powerful."  
"You may be right, Lugia. I will allow you and Mewtwo to help him, as you are the most powerful psychics that we have on hand. Meanwhile, the Regi clan will get him out." Arceus replied.

"But what if he betrays us? He is a _Shadow_, Arceus. He could betray us at any time." A green dragon spoke, earning a chorus of agreement from the Legendaries gathered.

"Peace, Rayquaza. I have found him pure of heart. Now, as for you, little one," Arceus bent down and looked me in the eyes. "Keep heart. We are coming, even if it seems that we are not. We are only here in spirit, as are you. Our physical bodies will take time to awaken. Even so, I assure you we will come." Arceus finished. "Now return to your earthly body. We will call upon you soon."

"I will speak with you later, Arceus. This isn't over." Rayquaza insisted.

"And later it will be. However, for now, this meeting is adjourned." Arceus ended the meeting, and the Legendaries slowly disappeared, one by one, until I was alone in the hall. Then I, too, returned to my physical body, a captive of myself.

Hey, Xman here. Yeah, ummm... *rubs back of head sheepishly* FORGIVE ME SENPAIS FOR NOT UPDATING I am so, sooooooooooooooo sorry. *sees ballistic missile* I DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE THAT ANGRY HELP ME JARVIS ACTIVATE ANTIBALLISTIC MISSILES! *dodges large number of knives* WAHZOOHEEEZAA! WHERE'S MY BOOK OF EXCUSES? Once again, FORGIVE ME PLEASE! I BEG MERCY OF YOU SENPAI! Oh, and one last thing. Please, please, please review in the white box. Tell me how I'm doing. Anyhoosies,  
-Xman, out


	5. Chapter 4:Breakout Part Two

I gasped in my sleep, jerking awake. _Was that real? Was it a dream? _I then realized that I was in control of myself again.

_Heya! Good to see you again! It's me, Mew, and me and 'Two here are gonna keep you alive 'till Regigigas can get here. But hey, you're in good hands! We'll also keep them from forcing you to do... that... again. I think you know what I'm talking about. Talk to ya later, gotta run!_

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. That cat was pathologically happy, and not even a war with a casualty rate of the Great War could get her down. I went rigid, the felt my arm move without my permission again. No! I would maintain control for as long as possible, however it weakened me.

_Stop. _A deep voice rang in my head. _You will only earn yourself unneeded scars. Play along for now, and we will free you when the time comes._

I got the feeling that Mewtwo would force me to cooperate if I resisted, so I silently complied, feeling my legs jerk from beneath me and move me out of the room into the white hallway.

Days passed by.

_Back again, old pal! We're coming with the Regis, and should be here in about... now._

An explosion rocked the underground headquarters, and I was dropped to the floor by my captors in another room. I got up and ran through the halls, dodging grunts and captains of Cipher.

"Stop!" A female voice yelled. "Stand down and peacefully return to your chambers!"

I snorted. Was this _really ever _going to work? No. "Make me." I replied cheekily, unconsciously dropping into combat position.

The woman narrowed her eyes at me. "Fine. Ston! Skrub! I require your assistance in moving subject XD003 to its chambers." Two men jumped to either side of her, ready for orders. She only pointed a finger at me. "Attack him." Then the chaos began.

One of the men released a Cradily, the other a Wynaut. "Cradily, use Swallow!" The Pokemon lunged towards me, but before the thing ate me alive, I used Sucker Punch to knock it off balance, then formed twin Iron Claw on each hand. Slashing the Cradily, I jumped back to catch my breath.

"Wynaut, Encore!" The other man exclaimed, pointing to me. Finally, a smart battler that knows when to use moves like that. I tried to use Psychic, but to my dismay Encore had taken effect. So, I wasd stuck with Iron Claw. That was fine. I was nimble with Iron Claw, so it wasn't really a problem. "Now, use Counter!" Nevermind, he was an idiot. I hadn't done any damage to the Wynaut, so the move would always fail. I waited until the move was completely over, then used an Iron Claw on the Cradily again, bringing down its Heath Points to just below half.

"Cradily, Ingrain, now!" The first man screamed. Roots exploded out of the ground and grew into the Cradily, which paused for a moment before aggressively whipping its head around to face me. I again formed and Iron Claw and rushed the Cradily, getting it again down to just below half HP. "Now, Acid!" My eyes widened, and the best I could do was brace myself as I was too close from the Iron Claw to dodge. I felt the acid of the move splash onto me, and it took everything I had not to cry out in pain. The idiot with the Wynaut again commanded it to use Counter, even though it again failed. I sighed, then felt a heavy weight lift off of me. The Encore had worn off!

I quickly used Psychic to slam the Cradily against the wall, knocking it out cold. The other Cipher Peon didn't even have time to react as I used Psychic to knock out his Wynaut. I turned to the woman with a cocky grin on my face. "Got any more for me to destroy?" She seemed to have steam boiling out of her ears when she shouted a command.

"Grumpig, _get out and destroy him!_" The angry female exploded. I only smirked and hurled a Shadow Ball at the Grumpig. The unfortunate Pokemon was immediately knocked out. She growled. "Get back to your _quarters!"_

She had opened her mouth to say something else when the entire compound shook with another explosion. "And that," I said, smirking the entire time, "would be my rescue squad." Right after this I winced and almost fell to the ground. This was not good. I had been Poisoned by the Acid. Regigigas exploded from the ceiling, followed quickly by Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. Finally, Mew and Mewtwo floated down from the hole in the top of the bunker-like building both glowing a light blue. The light faded and the female Peon smiled maliciously.

"Master Balls, go!" Six Master Balls flew from her grip and sailed toward the six legends. With a single use of Psychic, Mewtwo stopped all six in the air and crushed them. "Wha- But- Grrrr! You'll pay for that!" the woman angrily screamed.

_Told'ja we'd get to ya! Just took a little time because of Slow Start, is all! _The pink cat-like creature giggled and flew around me. I nodded feebly and fell to the ground, more than a little tired out by the previous battle. I sucked in a breath as again the Poisoning took its toll. Mew frowned as best she could, an almost unnatural expression for the Phantom Pokemon. _Hey, Mewtwo! He needs medical help, now! _Mewtwo looked back, eyes widening and nodded quickly. He and Mew together pulled me along behind them as they flew out of the hole their entrance had created. _We're going to the Hall of Origin, and to do that we have to go through dimensions. Can you hold it together until then? _I nodded feebly and relaxed, trying my best to stay conscious. In the end, I failed, drifting into darkness.

_Another this time. A girl, Amber. Her smile was so bright, yet I was so dark. A Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. Gone, nothingness._

_A terrible weapon, so many lives lost. An evil ruler, willing to wipe out all life, human and Pokemon, just for a vendetta._

_A great war, killing so many fathers_

_Pain was my entire life. It was all I knew, all I could know. Nothing could penetrate the walls I had built around myself, walls built to keep out the pain._

"He is alive, but it will take time for him to recover. He may not wake up."

_My parents. Never wanted me, never cared._

_A dark time, full of shadows and darkness. A plague of death and blackness. One hated by all will save all except one. A code, a message, an experiment gone wrong._

"If you can hear me, I'm sorry. We thought you were, well, evil. I see now that you weren't. Forgive me, and the rest of us."

_An experiment more powerful than intended. An enigmatic cipher bent on control. A champion in solitude atop the snow and ice. A web of deceptions, a web of shadow. An evil not vile, a shadow of light. A monster hated by all to save or destroy, yet all for naught if the second finds the key._

Light. I sat up and groaned, looking around. I sat on a bed of what seemed to be clouds in a translucent room. _You're awake! He's awake, everybody! _I sighed. "Can you keep it down? Trying to sleep he- what?"

"What? Where- oooohhh, the, now I'm... What happened after I blacked out?" My head was still sore, and I rubbed it as I was speaking.

Mew laughed nervously and began. _Yeah... long story, but I'll tell it all in short. When you blacked out, me and 'Two were getting you out of there while the Regis turned the Cipher base to rubble. Literally, there is nothing left of it. Even though they wouldn't do that, the author said they did so the story is more drama- _**Mew, what did I tell you about breaking the fourth wall? **_Yeah, sorry, O Great Author. _***facepalms* Mew, what did I ****_just _****say?**

"What just happened?"

_On with explaining what happened, we got you here so Cresselia could heal you of your Badly Poisoned state. Then it was just a matter of time before you woke up!_

"And how long was I out, exactly?" I inquired.

_Ehmmm... just over two years?_

"Two _years!? _And no one tried to wake me up?! Why?" I wasn't mad, not really, just disbelieving. What if someone told _you _you had been in a coma for two years?

_We tried, honestly, we did. But even Mewtwo couldn't wake you up with his power. He's still thinking about something he saw in your mind too. Kept saying something that sounded like a prophecy. You should ask him about that, see what he's talking about._

"Maybe I will."

—

"Is everything in place?"

"Yes, sir. Team Aqua and Magma will create the primary distraction, Rocket the secondary, and Flare the tertiary. Plasma will assist us in capture, and the correct mechanisms are set for the Shadowing. The Guardian of the Seas and the Patron of the Earth will very soon be ours."

"Good." He laughed menacingly. "Our plans will soon be carried out. The world will be attached to strings that I control.

**Hi again! Sorry for the semi-late update, but to make up it's a chappie and a half. 1500+ Words! Yeah! Reviews are very much appreciated, so please do review! I'll let you decide if this deserves a vote, but hopefully it does!**

**-Xman out**


	6. Chapter 5: End of the Beginning

"Let_ go_ of me! I'll kill you! I'll kill everyone!" The Gallade wasn't exactly creative with his death threats, but he made up for them with strength. It took all I had and then some to keep him down on the stone slab.

"Lugia! I need your help! This one's particularly strong!" The white Guardian of the Sea flew over to where I was and aided me with his psychic power. Even so, we still struggled with the presumably three-typed Blade Pokemon. "Cresselia, now!"

The Lunar Pokemon floated to the Gallade's head and placed her hands on either side of her head and sang softly.

_Anata no kage no iyasare_

The Gallade slowed, then stopped thrashing altogether. I released my psychic grip on him and sighed.  
This was the third and final member of the strike team I was assembling to attack a nearby base of Team Rocket. I could only use Shadow Pokemon as any other would run screaming or try to kill me. Not the most ideal options. When this Gallade woke up, I would begin training.

(Oh, no! another Page Break!)

"You three are the three best fighters I could find. You will be trained to fight with the abilities you never knew you had. The road ahead is not an easy one. You may just as easily die as live. are you all still certain you will not falter?" The Lucario, Absol, and Gallade nodded together. "Good. Now, Absol and Lucario, you will spar while I train with Gallade."

"Yes, sir!" The Lucario said, then dropped into a defensive stance and struck the Absol with Force Palm. I led the Gallade to a clearing and spoke to him.

"Attack me."

"What?" The Gallade reeled, as if struck.

"You heard me, attack me."

The Gallade held still, then jumped at me with a Psycho Cut charged. I simply redirected it with Psychic. His eyes widened as he was thrown clear. I almost grinned.

"If you were trained, you could counter that easily." I extended a hand to help him up. After he had stood, he asked me how.

"Extend a field of psychic energy around you. Not enough to majorly affect your surroundings, but enough to allow you to feel what goes on around you. Understand?" The Gallade nodded and extended his psyche.

"Hn. A tad bit obvious, but acceptable for now. Spar with Lucario while I train Absol." I dismissed Gallade and called Absol over.

(I should stop using page breaks.)

"Everyone ready? This is it. Final countdown. You want out, get out now. Okay?" Each of my team nodded, and I allowed myself a small grin. "Let's go."


	7. Chapter 6: Seeds of Betrayal

"Zubat, Screech!" The Rocket grunt was the only thing standing between me and the Doctor. I used Psychic to fling both of them aside and wrench the door open. inside the room was... no one. Not a soul there. I slammed my fist down on the wooden desk hard enough to crack it. I had seen the madman run into here, I know I had. These white walls must hold some sort of trap door, or something. I scanned the walls, trying to find any indication of a trap door, or anything.

Suddenly I felt time freeze, and Dialga stepped halfway out of a time portal. "The legends meet tonight." Dialga receded onto the blue, glowing portal and restarted time as normal. Absol rushed into the room, panting.

"Shadow... Lucario and Gallade... In danger." My eyes widened as I nodded, then closed my eyes as I Transformed into a Lucario and scanned the compound with aura. I found them both and opened my eyes as I dashed into the hall in their direction.

(This time I have a reason to Page Break)

"Now, Gallade and Lucario. Tonight, meet me at the Celadon City Pokemart. We will discuss the terms of an... _agreement_." A Cipher Peon spoke to the two Fighting types.

"What happens if we don't?" Gallade asked.

"Then your blood will spatter these white walls. We wouldn't want that, would we? And tell your Absol friend to join you."

"... Fine."

"Good. Now, I will be taking my leave, take care and remember my deal!" The Peon was already out the door when the Shifter walked in.

(Page Break-a Rooni!)

"Gallade! Lucario!" I shouted, then noticed the Rocket grunts holding guns to each of their heads.

"One move and they die, Shifter. Your choice." The grunt was arrogant, but foolish. I used Teleport to get behind the grunt threatening Lucario and used Slash to cut his throat. I then Teleported behind the other grunt and stabbed him in the back with Night Slash. Both Gallade and Lucario dropped to their knees and took deep breaths.

"Are either of you hurt?" Both shook their heads. "Good. Now-" Absol ran into the room, ready to kill.

"Relax, Absol. He freed us." Absol sighed, then started yelling at them while I stood by, chuckling.

"You idiots! You _knew_ there were too many for you to take on, but you just _charge on in_ anyway!"

"Hey, you ran!"

"I ran to save _your_ sorry arses!"

I separated the Blade and Disaster Pokemon. "Alright, that's enough. Let's just get out of here and set up camp."

(I should really stop this. I have a problem)

"This is a good place. Has a stream, mostly flat, let's set up camp." Setting up camp involved clearing a small area and building a fire. By this time, it was getting late so I decided to "turn in for the night". I really contacted the legendaries and met them in the Hall of Origins.

(P.O.V Change: Third Person: Gallade/Lucario/Absol)

Gallade got up from where he "slept" on a branch and shook Lucario. He cracked open one eye and spoke two words: "I'm awake."

Gallade jumped down and shook Absol awake. "Huuummm... Wha?"

Gallade spoke. "Shadow wants us to complete a training exercise. Tracking." Absol nodded and stretched. The three set off, with Gallade and Lucario pointing out false clues until they got to the Celadon Pokemart.

"Uhhh... why are we here?" Absol asked, mildly concerned. Gallade grabbed him and held his muzzle closed. With Lucario's help, he carried the Absol into the darkened Pokemon Mart where they were met by a black-suited Peon.

"Ah, good. You're all here. Now we will discuss a few... terms. First, when the Shifter attacks a Cipher base, turn on him." Absol fought free of Gallade's grip for a second.

"Why would we ever turn on him?"

"Because, if you don't agree to, we kill _them_." The Peon gestured to three glass tanks which held an Absol, Gardevoir, and Lucario.

"No!" Gallade yelled and charged toward the glass tank that held Gardevoir. The Cipher Peon pulled out a gun and loaded it, leveling it at Gallade's head.

"You want to save her? Be my guest, get the both of you killed. I don't really care, either way. So what will it be?" Gallade slowly stepped back to his two partners. "Hmm. Good choice, at least by my opinion. Now, to all of you, what will it be? Will you walk out, leaving your loved ones to die? Or will you agree to my proposition, and betray the Shifter? If you stay with him, you lose everything. Your lives, your loved ones, everything. If you agree to my proposition, you see your loved ones again, and you go free. But the choice is yours." The Cipher agent was insane. All three of the Pokemon standing before him saw that now.

"May we discuss it first?" Absol asked.

"Discuss all you want, we still have hours before sunrise. Take your time."

The team of Pokemon fighters gathered in a group in the shadow filled building. "What is our choice?" Lucario asked, clearly torn.

"Is there even a choice? He has my _son_. I lost him once, but I will not lose him again." Absol stood adamant, refusing to reconsider.

"He has my mate as well. I regret it, but we must agree to his terms." Gallade, in any other situation, was the most loyal Pokemon one could ever find, but in the eyes of losing his mate, he crumbled.

"And betray the only one who understands that we are _not_ what we look to be? How do you know that is your mate, Gallade? Or your son, Absol? He cannot possibly have my daughter." Lucario burst out.

"How do you know _that_, Lucario?" Gallade was suspicious at this point, but was willing to let Lucario explain himself.

"Because I watched my family burn. My mate was burned alive, and my daughter died in my arms. They cannot possibly have her. Besides, would your mate recognize you through the years of scars and the change of the Shadow? And Absol, would your son recognize you under the black fur and red eyes? We must face it, we are different than we were, and hated among humans and Pokemon. And why would the madman let them go? With them, he gains an edge with which to control you forever. Why would he ever give that up?"

"Still, if there is even a whisper if a chance to save my son, I will take it. Even if he never knows it was his father, I will still do everything in my power to save him." Absol was clear, and he would not give up on his family, no matter the cost.

"Fine. Betray the one that saved you, that took you in, that gave you all that you now have."

Gallade walked over to the Cipher Peon. "We will accept."

He chuckled. "Good. A family man, eh? Very well. I will tell you when the time comes. Ta-ta!" The Peon walked off into the dark alleyway beside the Mart and disappeared.


	8. Chapter 7: Return of the Champion

I walked over to my teammates, having found an interesting bit of information. "Look at this." I tapped on Lucario's to get his attention. "This trainer. Red. The champion. He must be powerful."

"Why do you say that?" Lucario answered, his attention now fully focused on me.

"He battled and defeated Mewtwo, captured him, then released him later. He is a powerful trainer, and he has a pure heart. He can help us." I pulled out a map of Kanto and searched it.

"Here. If we continue to Diglett's Cave, we can backtrack to Route 28 and be at Mt. Silver in no time at all." I nodded and rounded up my three partners.

"To Diglett's Cave it is, then."

I sighed as yet another Diglett popped out of the ground. Now I _really_ wished I had gone into town to get supplies-and more than a few Repels. It was like the Diglett version of Mt. Moon! Yet still, going through the dark, damp, and soil-filled cave was more desirable than going the long way around, so our tired and annoyed group trudged on, only to have another _three_ Diglett reveal themselves.  
"That is _it!_ I'm going to _kill _the next Diglett I see!" I almost laughed at Lucario's reaction, but kept a even the faintest hint of a grin from my countenance as I spoke to him.  
"Peace, Lucario. Remember, _we_ are the ones on _their _territory, not the other way around." The fiery aura that had surrounded Lucario faded, and he sighed.

"I know this is their territory, but that doesn't mean that they have to pop out in front of me every other second."  
At this I cracked a small grin, but it was gone just as soon as it had appeared.

"You have no reason to complain anymore, Lucario, because there's the ladder out." Gallade pointed out. Just as Lucario was about to jump onto the ladder to _get out of there_, a Dugtrio popped its three heads up above the tunnel floor, right in front of him.

"I SWEAR-"

When we finally reached Route 28, Gallade and Absol both were teasing Lucario about how easily the Diglett had annoyed him. Lucario, having given up explaining himself long before, simply stayed silent. I was silently grinning my hardest at the entire situation.

Eventually, I decided Absol and Gallade had had their fun, and besides, it was getting annoying at this point. "Okay, Gallade, Absol, you've had your fun. Leave the poor Pokémon alone."

"But teasing him is _fun._" Gallade pouted, but I glared him down. He mumbled a few incoherent words and dropped to the back of the group, but not before flicking Lucario on the elbow.

I had gone into Viridian City to get supplies for our ascent to Silver Cave, getting specialized Pokémon boots for the three that traveled with me, then got a canine blanket for Absol and cloaks for myself, Gallade, and Lucario.  
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Gallade and Lucario, duking it out big time. I sighed and ran over as quickly as I could.  
"Oh, no, Lucario! A Diglett! How _awful!_ Oh, _help_ me!" Gallade taunted, dodging every one of Lucario's rage-filled swings.  
"Shut _UP, _you _PRICK!_" Lucario was beyond pissed. I was surprised the Pokémon could hold that much anger and sustain it as well. Before Lucario could land another strike. I caught his fist and stared him straight in his crimson eyes.

"I honestly thought better of you, Lucario. Fighting over such a petty thing like children!" I shook my head. "Do not speak to Gallade for the rest of the day. Understand?" He nodded and I released him. I heard Gallade snickering behind me and whipped around. "Don't think that you are getting off the hook, Gallade. I know you were the antagonist, and do not try to deny it. You are going to wear a dunce hat the entire way up Mt. Silver, and you are not getting out of it."

"But why? This is Pokémon abuse! Cruel and unusual punishment! Pol-!"  
He kept trying to yell until he found that no sound was being generated."You,"  
I almost smirked, but held a straight face. "Will also be silent."  
Lucario clearly couldn't hold a stoic face, as he burst into laughter, doubling over.

YEAH PAGE BREAK!

It had been a few days, as we had to wait a few days for a snowstorm to pass. Now, we were making our long and roundabout trek up the mountain, Gallade still trying to talk through my... er... _slighly altered_ Disable. Absol just trudged along, a lot clearly on his mind as we carved a path through the snow of Mt. Silver.

"Anything you want to talk about, Absol?" He jumped back, as if struck, and for a second I swore I had seen a look of guilt on his face, but it disappeared before I could be sure. he pushed his eyebrows together and shook his head. I shrugged it off as nothing, and we continued up the snowy mount.

**I need help. No more page breaks, NO MORE!**

A few hours later, we had finally reached the apex of Mt. Silver. The cave loomed ahead of us, and I could tell the others were intimidated.  
"Lucario, light." He summoned a small ball of aura and led the way into Silver Cave. As we walked in, I noticed a warm light coming from the back of the cave. I gesture for Lucario to get behind me. Although this was Red's last known location, any number of terrible things could have occured, so I was cautious.

Suddenly, a massive, battle-scarred Charizard appeared in front of us, completely obscuring the cave entrance and causing both Gallade and Absol to scatter. Its roar was like that of a thousand armies, charging to war. Lucario charges an Aura Sphere while I began the biggest Surf I could muster. Out of the cave, a voice sounded.

"Stand down, Scorcher, they are no threat." A voice emanated from the back of the cave as I strained to see the speaker in the relative dark.

I soon walked into a large chamber, Gallade, Lucario, and Absol in tow, and immediately saw the large and battle-scarred Charizard, curled around something in front of it.

"Are you the trainer Red?" I asked, wary of the answer. A figure rose from in front of the fire/flying type and looked us over.

He was dressed in a red vest over a white shirt, with jeans, sneakers, and a red and white hat. "I am the champion, and my name _is _Red... I don't suppose you speak of me?" 

**FINALLYIAMSOSORRYFORSOFEWUPDATESANDIAMWRITINGMYASSOFFINEEDOXYGEN *deep breath* *recorder breaks***


	9. Chapter 8: Shadows Above, Shadows Below

He gritted his teeth. Things had not gone to plan. Rocket, Aqua, and Magma had all failed miserably due to infighting between Aqua and Magma, causing his own agents to have to interfere. Groudon and Kyogre were days late, and many grunts had deserted. Now, with numbers low and morale lower, Groudon and Kyogre finally showed here, for their recently instated peace meetings. No, things had not gone to plan, not at all.

Flare and Plasma were currently setting up the Shadowing procedure, albeit slowly. Team Galactic's remaining men were guarding the area, "guarding" used roughly. His men had caught many Team Galactic grunts slacking off, some with the nerve to sleep. Sleeping on the job! Many of those had been thrown out of the operation, to be taken care of at a later date. Now, his own men had worked with Flare and Plasma in order to finish the mechanism on time. Groudon and Kyogre were approaching fast, and all teams were working on the mechanism, bar Rocket, and they would only just finish it on time.

The working plan now was to Shadow Kyogre first, using only just below the amount of electricity needed to stop its heart, then use Kyogre against Groudon. That was where the distraction came in. And by distraction, he meant several hundred pounds of explosives that would serve to injure Groudon enough to slow it down before it could be captured. Now, that plan would be put into motion as Patron of Earth and Guardian of Sea approached.

Later that afternoon, the electric shockers had been set undersea, and the explosive charges had been primed and armed. A grunt approached him with a tablet wirelessly connected to a radar dish, clearly having run for a distance. The grunt stood and handed him the tablet. "Your request, sir."

He waved the grunt off and studied the radar screen. This wasn't good. The Legendaries had sped up, and there was little time to check the charges. No matter. All the weapons were on-site and working, so now- what? They were already there? How? He pulled out a walkie-talkie and yelled into it. "Detonate both charges! Now!" He felt the explosives go off, causing a minor earthquake. Even louder was Kyogre's roar of pain, and Groudon's roar of outrage. Next came the _rat-a-tat _of automatic weapons, causing Groudon's cries turn to pain. Within a minute, the secondary charges blew, making the cry of Groudon grow ever louder.

Meanwhile, the Guardian of the Sea was being shocked within an inch of its life. Galactic special operatives in rubber-coated scuba suits added extra electrical power and implanted the control node in the spinal cord, just below the brain. In the past few years, it had been perfected so that it could better control more powerful Pokemon.

Kyogre gave one last, desperate cry before it fell silent. The great legendary closed its eyes for sixty-two seconds exactly. Most agents who had been near it started swimming away. Kyogre opened its eyes and stared at the tower where he stood. Its eyes were the red of blood, and soon its body shed its blue scales in favor of black. It looked around, and saw its brother Groudon. One thought crossed its mind. _Kill_.

The criminal teams allowed Kyogre to beat the life out of its brother until it was about to die. Then, they simply started using circular saws and hacksaws to rip off parts of its armor. The pain was too much for the Legendary, and it fell, barely alive. Again, specialists swarmed over it and injected the control node below the brain. A cloud of black smoke that snaked tendrils ever outward formed around the fallen legend, and when it cleared, it left a red-eyed and black monster, powered by pure shadow, as oxymoronic as that sounds.

He could not help himself and laughed aloud, and kept laughing. He was insane, and he knew it, and he was proud. Now the only thing left was to defeat the escaped project, and world domination was a step away. Es Cade would rule the world, and he would kill anyone or anything that got in his way. No exceptions, all death. He laughed once again.


	10. Chapter 9: Beginning of the Endgame

p style="text-align: left;" data-p-id="a912fa880f1c86b4e5c2eeb7843bff03""I understand your predicament. However, I cannot assist you." These were the words of Red, still ringing in my mind. I had explained to him the dangers of both Team Rocket and Cipher, but he would not help. He had said he was done with such adventures, and just wanted to stay with his Pokemon on Mt. Silver. It had been several hours since we had spoken with him, and we were now roughly halfway down the mountain again. We had deliberated for many hours, but Red would not change his mind. He had, however, provided us with information on a Cipher underground base. This was where we were headed to after we got off the mountain. /p  
p style="text-align: left;" data-p-id="b9b72d255bdadac9634352bfcf934c20"The trip down the mountain was mostly uneventful, with only a few moments of interest. The Cipher base was near Vermilion, so we would have to backtrack through Diglett's Cave. On the trip to the cave, we stopped in Viridian City to pick up food, a few Antidotes, and several Super Repels, in the form of bracelets, so that we were not challenged by Diglett and Dugtrio along the path. After exiting the cave, we found the Pokémart where the Cipher base's entrance supposedly was. By using Teleport, I got into the base and opened the doors from the inside. Absol crept in first, followed by Lucario and Gallade. It was pitch black, and we couldn't risk light. so we crept on, alone with the shifting shadows./p  
p style="text-align: left;" data-p-id="955408643935e68dcdc2f98a69c4860b"The base had been built in a cave, so every noise made echoed almost infinitely. Ominous noises sounded near constantly around the cave. By keeping close to the right wall, we found our way around the cave to the facility. I forced open the steel door with a quick Psychic and stole my way in. I disabled all the alarms with a terminal near the door. I waved to the other three, and they followed into the white-walled hallway. I used a Light Screen to make it appear as if we weren't there, and crept toward the nearest door. /p  
p style="text-align: left;" data-p-id="8eca3e8dfffc914a463dddfe0b3bc60a"It happened to be a supply closet. I pulled out a vent cover above us, and climbed in. I motioned for Absol to stay there, and for Lucario and Gallade to follow. I crawled through the vents to the main breaker room. If their base was thrown into total darkness, it would likely throw every Cipher Peon into panic. I kicked in the vent, and with a emclang/em it hit the floor of the room, making a louder noise than I'd like. /p  
p style="text-align: left;" data-p-id="369ce980283241ca062e803ec83d0bce"I jumped down to find a trap. Armed guards were sever layers deep, all pointing guns at us, all clearly a caliber above the average grunt. Still, they would be no problem. Using a massive Psychic, I threw all the closest guards into the ones behind them. All that were in a position to opened fire. I couldn't shield all of us in time, so I chose Lucario and Gallade. Suddenly I realized we were missing a teammate. emAbsol!/em/p  
p style="text-align: left;" data-p-id="ddeb8725c439fddb9fe8d4596e51f99e""Come on! Absol is probably captured!" Both of them nodded and together, we bolted to the supply closet./p  
p style="text-align: left;" data-p-id="d0f594c3cdaba9e74ea5bafea2c390c7"Absol was gone./p  
p style="text-align: left;" data-p-id="d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e" /p  
p style="text-align: left;" data-p-id="26478db11a74b3c8675f463fee30cba7" /p  
p style="text-align: left;" data-p-id="cfe201de5943405c840233fec4378a45" /p  
p style="text-align: left;" data-p-id="b7d02b64f9e47354bf0b62bf4c2cd954" /p  
p style="text-align: left;" data-p-id="7869a3e65b0c73c55cfac52322bac1c6"strongSorry that it's been so long since I've published, a triple combo of life, school, and writer's block brought this story to a screeching halt. However, it's now back on track, so expect a few new chappies close down the pipeline. Seeya then! Xman out./strong/p  
p style="text-align: left;" data-p-id="714e797025a55e6b0e4a0fb86b5af67a" /p  
p style="text-align: left;" /p 


	11. Chapter 10: All to Hell

The three of us, Gallade, Lucario, and I, were hiding in the Cipher base's nooks and crannies, keeping out of sight. We had to find Absol, before he was killed. However, we had no idea of where to start. We kept to the walls, stayed in abandoned rooms and moved through the ventilation system. Currently, Gallade and Lucario were both topside, gathering materials to create a diversion while I crawled around in the vents of the compund, trying to find Absol. It was cramped and hot, but I was, at the moment, undetected. One thing, however, stood out in my mind. _How had Cipher known where and when to set up a trap for us? _

I was crawling through the vent that led to the surface when I noticed another vent that split off from the main tube in the opposite direction of the Cipher base. Collectively, the three of us had searched the entire compound, but none of us had seen this branch of the vent system. Knowing it may be where Absol was kept, I quickly climbed up to the surface, because the radios we had would not work underground. After climbing out of the vent's top on the surface, I pulled out my radio.

"I found another branch of the vents that may lead to another facility entirely, possibly where Absol is being kept. I'll explore further and report back." Confirmation came from both Lucario and Gallade that the message was heard. I jumped back into the main vent and climbed down to the unknown branch.

It was roughly the size of the other vents in the compound, so I could fit easily. I crawled down the steeply slanted metal floor until I reached the first grate. Looking through, I saw several men in white coats walking around, writing on clipboards, discussing something and looking through a window that I couldn't see through. I kept crawling through the vent to the next grate. Still, I could see nothing of what was behind the glass. I kept crawling through the vent, but at each grate there was nothing but a glimpse of the window at best. I saw no vent going towards the windowed room, so I, though it was risky, used Teleport to get into the room for a fraction of a fraction of a second and see what was inside. what I saw sickened me. It was Absol, or rather, what was left of him. He was barely alive, only kept breathing by a machine, electric shockers the only thing that kept his heart beating. One thing was noticeably missing from the side of his head: his horn. Not only was a horn an Absol's pride and dignity, but it was also a major organ with a large blood flow. It was a miracle he was still alive,m though he wouldn't be for long.

I, no longer caring about stealth, shielded myself with Psychic and used Lava Plume to clear a path to the surface, and, switching fully into my Pokémon form, flew into the air as high as an average airliner and used Psychic to contact both Lucario and Gallade.

"I found him. We're going in."

Both Lucario and Gallade were shocked. Lucario was the first to reply. "What about the pla-"

"Screw the plan! They're using Absol for some sick experiment, and I'm not going to let him die in there, god dammit! I can charge them on my own, you just keep everyone out of my way. Got it?  
"I didn't wait for a response from either, I just Teleported to each of them, bringing both to the hole I had made.

"Down there?" Gallade asked. The grass around the hole I had made was blackened and burned. I only nodded and jumped in, followed quickly by Lucario and Gallade. When we got there, the place was already in a panic. The scientists were all over the place, while I had one target: Absol's room. I crashed through the glass, sending shards into my shoulder, but I didn't care. I ran over and grabbed Absol from the operation table he was laid on. He could barely open his eyes. His pelt was still spattered with blood, the bandage on his head was crusted with dry blood. I used the most powerful Heal Pulse I could muster, but I knew it wouldn't be enough. Still, he opened his eyes. He saw me and a faint smile grace his face.

"You came." It was clear speaking was a huge struggle for him. It shattered my heart to see him this way. "Thank you."

"For what?" I asked him. "I came far too late. You've been ripped from your horn and left to die because I couldn't come fast enough. Even now, Only a legend could-" I stopped, and cried out to the heavens. "Arceus! Cresselia! Jirachi! Anyone! Please!" My cries were left unanswered. I let out a last, quiet, "Anyone..." before falling silent. Absol reached a forepaw to my shoulder. He was straining, and I feared this was his final hour. I grasped the paw, and he smiled.

"The reason I thank you is that you didn't let me die in that hellhole. There were days and nights when I thought, 'Hell, if Arceus is real and is a so-called benevolent god, and he lets this stuff happen, I don't wanna live here anyway. But you came. And now I can die in peace." He leaned back and let out a long sigh.

"No, the Pokémon Center can do something, you don't have to die like this, they could-" I was interrupted by Absol again reaching toward me with a bloodied paw.

"Don't kid yourself. I've had a good life, but it's my time. I wish I could've done more, yeah but-" He winced from an unseen injury. "But I'm fine with this. Don't give up with this. They need to be stopped. You're the only guy I know who can do this. Don't just give up because of me."

He was breathing his last, and he knew it. Yet he still talked about what I could do? "I won't, Absol. Not on my life."

A final smile graced his face, and he said his final words. "I'll see you on the other side, yeah? But not too soon, or I'll reanimate you to kill you again for being an idiot. Got it?"

I only nodded. His chest rose and fell, one last time, and Absol no Kage was no more.


End file.
